Medical Marijuana: An Answer To Opioid Addiction?

[Robert Celt]

Can medical marijuana be a fix for the prescription-drug epidemic?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., wants federal health officials to find out.

Warren has asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to investigate how pot is or isn't working to reduce reliance on highly addictive prescription pills and to research "the impact of the legalization of medical and legal marijuana on opioid overdose deaths."

There's a catch to her request: marijuana remains a schedule 1 controlled substance, which places big barriers on researchers – even though 23 states have legalized marijuana for medicinal use.

Pain-pill addiction is rising alarmingly – and with it, addictions to heroin, which works on the brain in the same way. Meantime, a 2014 study showed that states that legalized medical marijuana appear to have lower overdose-death rates, both from prescription pain killers and illicit drugs like heroin. The reason wasn't clear, said the study published by the JAMA Network – but the intriguing linkage surely should be explored.

As we have said before, Florida is moving far too slowly in delivering medical marijuana for the people of this state. The voters, however, seem determined to take matters into their own hands and vote for a medical marijuana amendment on the November ballot.

News Moderator: Robert Celt 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Medical Marijuana: An Answer To Opioid Addiction?
Author: Howard Goodman
Photo Credit: None found
Website: PalmBeachPost

 

[infoman]

we must have a balance between prescription drugs & natural healing properties--& most of all KEEP WALL ST OUT OF IT--peace

 

[Radogast]

You go, Elizabeth Warren!

Official text of her letter to the CDC - it's only 2 pages

https://www.warren.senate.gov/files/documents/2016-2-8_Letter_to_CDC_re_opioid_epidemic research.pdf

 

[morsap]

I keep telling my story: For years I was on opioids - the latest Oxycontin. When my PCP released information to my pain clinic that I had a MMJ card they confronted me and made me choose either the opioids or mmj. I chose MMJ and have not looked back! It's been almost 1 year and I'm clear of all opioids. I still have pain but it is controllable. With MMJ. I wish someone would study me. I did it and it works!

 

[mlang52]

I saw people who were called addicts if they took pain medication more than a month! The difference between addiction an dependence is massive, But, the politicians don't know the differences and with the input of law enforcement, seem to be hell bent to get all patients of all opiate pain medications. Now, cannabis might help abusers stay off of opiates. But, it must be realized that people deserve to be treated compassionately for chronic, intractable pain, with cannabis, or opiates, when indicated. The opiate addiction comes from people thinking they can abuse, those medications they are prescribed. First we must put the blame on ignorance. Being able to identify addiction and not labeling chronic pain medication use that way. We must realize that addiction has a larger neuropsychiatic abnormality, that is completely different than simple physical dependence. You can't convince me that all of the people addicted to their pain medication did not become that way by any other means than abusing their medication, taking it differently than it was prescribed on the label! Personal responsibility should not be ignored in these serious problems. If not, the patients that become addicted have no other way of getting better. They must admit the inability to control their impulses to abuse the opiates they were prescribed. Sadly, many turn to an easier way of getting opiates, buying diacetyl-morphine (heroin) on the streets. They get an opiate at a very diminished cost! They continue to risk their lives in pursuit of a high, not for relief of pain! Sadly, a few chronic pain patients have been forced into the situation of using street drugs, which are of unknown concentration and unknown purity. The war on drugs has caused as many problems as it has tried to relieve. Why do we continue to fight a war on drugs? Shouldn't we have won it?! Maybe we need to think out of the box?! Try something new!? Putting addicts in jail has not helped, either.